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2 L T T O I Mi TL .C .HLv R New G.,

Machine for Clipping Seal and other Skins.` No. 240,007

`Patented April 12,1'88I.

ATTRNBY INVENTORA l WITNESSBS;

N. PIXERS. FHOTKLLITMD UNITED STATES PATENT GEEICE.

GUSTAV CIMIOTTI AND FERDINAND F. GIMIOTTI, OF NEW YORK,`N. Y.

' MACHINE FoR C'LlPPlNG SEAL AND OTHER SKINS. l

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 240,007, dated April 12,` 1881,

' Appnmiou Elea ombrzonaso. (Model.)

To all whom tt may concern Be it known that we, GUsrAv CIMIoT'rI and FERDINAND FLORIAN CIMIOTTI, both of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain new and Vuseful Improvements in Machines for Clipping Seal and other Skins, of which the following is a` specification.

Every seal-skin has, besides the soft tine hair or wool which forms the main attraction of the skin, long glossy hair or bristlesthe so-called` water-hair-the greater part of which is removed in dressing the skin. tles, however, remain in the skin, and have to be removed by clipping or plucking. This has heretofore been accomplished by hand, the operator blowing the fine hair back so as to expose the long and stiff bristles, which are then either cut off short or pulled out by pinchers. This method of clipping or plucking the thick hair is slow, tedious, andwexpensive, and requires skilledhands.

The object of this invention is to furnish a machine by which 'the thick water-hair or bristles of the fur can be removed in a rapid, uniform, and reliable manner 5 and the invention consists of a knife-edged bar, over which the seal-skin is tightly stretched and intermittently fed by means of winding and unwinding rollers. The narrow portion or strip of the skin directly over the knife-edge is eX- -posed to a vertical blast of air from a bellows or blower and retained at both sides `of the knife-edge by laterally-movable guard-combs. The stift' bristles projecting through and above theucombs are then clipped off by horizontal knives or shears arian ged above the combs.

In the accompanying drawings, which fully illustrate `our invention, Figures 1 and 2 represent vertical transverse sections of our improved machine for clipping or plucking sealskins,.shown respectively before and during the clipping action. Fig. 3 is a sectional front elevation; Fig. 4, a top view of the same; and Figs. 5 and 6 are detail top views, respectively, of one of the retaining guard-combs and of the lower clipping-knife.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A represents the supporting-framelof our improved machine for clipping seal-skins, at the middle portion of which is arranged a The shorter bris-A unwindiug rollers G C.

to the ends of the skin, which bands are of 6o such length that every part of the skin can pass over the knife-edge. and -ratchet mechanism the rollers C and C are intermittently operated, so as to move the skin forward over the knife-ed ge at the proper time.

Above the knife-edged bar, and of equal width with the same, is arranged a bellows or other air-forcing apparatus, D, which is supported on frame A and provided with a nozzle, D', the narrow discharge-orifice of which is vertically above the knife-edged bar B. `The By a suitable pawlbellows D is operated by means of a treadle, E,

which is connected by cords or pivot-rods a to the upper movableportion ofthe bellows, and by weights f, which are hung to cordsd,passing over pulleys b b at the top of frame A. The weights f open the bellows as y soon as the treadle is released by the foot.

The treadle E is also 'connected by a cord, c, passing over a pulley, c', tothe rear end of a slotted lever-arm, g, which turns loosely on the shaft of a ratchet-wheel, g', and pinion g2, which latter intermeshes with gear-wheels g3 at the ends of the shafts of the winding and The short shaft of the ratchet-wheel g" and pinion g2 is supported in suitable bearings of frame A. A springpawl, g4, is pivoted to the lever g and a checkpawl, g5, to the shaft of the roller G. The paWl g4 passes over the teeth Vof the ratchet-wheel on depressing the treadle E, but engages the same' on the return motion of the lever by the action of a spiral spring, h, which is attached to the rear end of the lever g and frame A.

The return motion of the lever g, imparted byl spring 7i, causes the pawl g? to engage the ratchet-wheel gi, `so as to turny the same and pinion g2, which latter turns `the gear-wheels g3 in opposite direction, so as to produce the unwinding of the skin from the front roller, C,r and the winding up of the same on therear` IOO roller, C.

The seal-skin stretched over the knife-edged bar is thereby moved forward for a short distance. Before the skin passes over the knife-edged bar B it passes over a transverse tension-rod, i, the ends of which are connected by springs i to the side standards of frame A, as shown in Figs. l and 3. This tension-rod prevents the too tight stretching ot the skin and facilitates the motion of the same over the knife-ed ge.

The treadle E is furthermore connected, preferably at both ends, by tixed and headed pins, l, to slotted pivot-links, Z', which are applied to the lower ends of vertically-guided and springcushioned connecting-rods l2. These are applied at the upper ends to guide-plates m, which are guided by parallel slots on fixed pins of frame-A, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The guide-plates m are centrally recessed at their upper ends for the bar B.

To the lower parts ofthe guide-plates m are pivoted the shanksn of horizontal guard-combs F, which are arranged above and symmetrically to the knife-edged bar B, and pressed outwardly by a V-shaped spring, n. The inclined rear sides ofthe shanks n of the combs F move, during the downward motion of the treadle, along anti-friction rollers n.2 of xed side plates, n3, of frame A, the joint action of the slotted guide-plates and rollers n2 serving to close the combs over the portion of the skin which is at that moment above the knife-cd ge. The side plates, n3, and rollers u2 may be set somewhat higher or lower by means of wedgekeys n4, so as to secure the exact position of the combs close to the narrow strip of skin, above the knife-ed ge. Above the guard-combs F are placed two horizontal clippingknives, G, the inner cutting-edges of which are arranged in the form of an obtuse-angled V, as shown in Fig. 4, and operated by a crankhandle, G', at oneI end, so as to exert a shear cut upon the bristles projecting above the combs. The joint motion of the knives Gr is obtained by action of the outer pins, p, of the crank G upon the upper and lower knives on swinging the crank around the intermediate fulcrum, p', as indicated by arrows in Fig. 4. Both knives are provided with inclined slots 5o p2, by which they are enabled to slide along the fulcrum p. rEhe upper knife is furthermore provided with a slot for the outer pin, p, which passes through the same to the lower knife, as shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. v

By depressing the treadle a strong current of air is thrown by the bellows upon the narrow strip of skin which is at the time above the knife-edge, the current forcing the soft hair of the fur down and parting it at both sides of the knife-edge, so as to return the soft hair or Wool and protect it against injury in clipping or removing the bristles, which project through the teeth ofthe combs.

By a motion of the operating-crank of the knives the projecting bristles are clipped 0E close to the skin, or they may be plucked by pinchers or removed by other devices in case no knives are desired to be used. The knives,` however, are preferable, as they accomplish the clipping operation across the whole width of the skin at one operation, and at that portion which is above the knife-edged bar. On the release of the treadle the bellows opens, the combs are raised and moved awayfrom each other, and the skin is fed forward for a short distance over the knife-edged bar, so as to expose an adjoining strip to the action of the current and to the clipping-knives, as described. The clipping operation is repeated until the entire skin is freed of the stiff waterhair or bristles, which is in this manner accomplished at a considerable saving of time and expense as compared with the clipping or plucking ofthe skin by hand.

Having thus described. our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. In a machine for clipping seal-skins, the combination of -a knife-edged bar and means for stretching and intermittently feeding the skin over the bar with an 4air-forcing apparatus arranged above the knife-edged bar, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine for clipping seal-skins, the combination of a knife-edged bar and means for stretching and feeding the skin over the same with oscillating guard-combs arranged symmetrically at both sides of the bar, substantially as set forth. Y

3. In a machipe for clipping seal-skins, the combination of theknife-edged bar and means for stretching and feeding the skill over the bar with an air-forcing apparatus above the bar and with oscillating guard combs arranged at both sides of the bar, substantially as set forth.

4. In a machine for clipping" seal-skins, the combination of a knife-edged bar and means for stretching'and feeding the skin over the bar with an air-forcing apparatus above the bar, with oscillating guard-combs, and with clipping-knives above the same, substantially as specified.

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5. The method herein described of pluckin g Witnesses PAUL GoEPnL, CARL KAR?. 

